<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>a study in heartbeat by Forestgreengirl</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23613976">a study in heartbeat</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forestgreengirl/pseuds/Forestgreengirl'>Forestgreengirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Biting, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Broken Bones, CC-1010 | Fox Needs A Hug, CC-2224 | Cody Is A Mess, CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, CC-3636 Needs A Hug, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Dreams, Force-Sensitive Clones (Star Wars), Gen, Introspection, Kamino is terrible!!, Magic Realism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prophetic Visions, Suicidal Thoughts, Visions in dreams, clone culture, it’s implied</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:29:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,592</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23613976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forestgreengirl/pseuds/Forestgreengirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>People whisper about this batch, they tell tales of forgotten gods and angry myth figures.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-1010 | Fox &amp; Jango Fett, CC-2224 | Cody &amp; CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-2224 | Cody &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody &amp; Jango Fett, CC-3636 | Wolffe &amp; Jango Fett, CC-5052 | Bly &amp; CC-1010 | Fox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>199</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I can taste the skin (in my teeth)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Kaminoens used to talk about a legend throughout the Galaxy, they spoke of soulless creatures with bloodied teeth and torn nails. They spoke of endless rage and warped justice, how these creatures used to come and punish the guilty, used to steal naughty children in their beds. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>CC-3636  isn't in the habit of listening to childrens fairytales, not like his brothers who listen with their full attention. CC-3636 doesn't have time to listen to children's tales; they aren't going to save the lives of his brothers in the upcoming war. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually they stop telling him of the warnings, stop trying to scare him into submission with caution tales of myths.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> 3636 doesn’t believe in stories, they’re never true; it’s one of the first things Jango teaches them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He starts to notice the gazes on him as he walks, notices how they avoid staring into his eyes for too long, how they stare at his slightly-too-sharp teeth when he grins and shows off the pointed bones. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jango notices the stares, he notices the way 3636  stalks around the ship like a ghost; never making too much noise. His heartbeat often being only the thing 3636 can truly feel some days. 3636 still remembers how Jango sat him down one day, told him tales of fake gods and bloodied teeth, told him how he needed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>careful</span>
  </em>
  <span>, to not let them take his rage away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He starts teaching 3636 outside of training hours, teaches him how to snarl and spit and </span>
  <em>
    <span>bite</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Teaches him how to protect his brothers, because between ambitious little </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kote </span>
  </em>
  <span>and soft spoken Bly, and headstrong Ponds, and Fox being distant and detached from everything; it falls to 3636 to protect his brothers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The first time a trainer strikes a barely conscious Kote across the face, 3636 feels his heart thump, adrenaline pumping as he turns around and leaps at the trainer, </span>
  <em>
    <span>biting</span>
  </em>
  <span> the trainer, sinking sharp teeth into soft skin and </span>
  <em>
    <span>tearing. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He spits blood onto the ground beside him, stares the horrified trainer in the eyes and snarls. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t hear the trainers' pained screams, or his brothers horrified gasps. He can’t hear anything over his heartbeat thumping through his whole body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jango spends four hours arguing with why they shouldn't kill him then and there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jango laughs, loud and proud as he ruffles 3636’s hair </span>
  <em>
    <span>(Good job little wolf, next time; bite them harder.) </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He finishes that day with bloodied teeth and his name. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It doesn't get better from there, the trainers push hard and Wolffe pushes back harder, the only reason they haven't sent him for reconditioning, is the fear of both Jango’s promises of blood, and the sharpness of Wolffe’s teeth. Wolffe eventually gets good at baring his fangs enough to make people avert their eyes, or just walk away a bit faster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The trainers, and the kaminoans stare at him when they think he's not looking, they’re always so careful to avoid putting soft skin near deadly teeth. He hears them whisper about something he isn't sure of yet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>(“It’s gone wrong, what is the point of it. If they’re still going to act like this!)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>Wolffe snarls and bares his teeth long enough that he forgets how to </span>
  <em>
    <span>smile. </span>
  </em>
  <span>His brothers love him, but Wolffe notices how they hesitate in their movements, eyes darting to his bared teeth; they haven't looked at him the same since he bit that Trainer. They look at him like he's </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>He’s keeping his brothers safe, but he's not sure he's liking the cost. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All of them except for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kote</span>
  </em>
  <span>, when their brothers turn away from Wolffe’s feral grin, Kote hits him in the mouth and tells him to get over himself; it's relieving. Being around him is easier than he's used to, it shouldn't surprise him considering Kote was the only other that Jango took a special interest in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They start sparing together not long after the burn in Wolffe’s blood grows bigger. They fight until they are half-conscious, snarls and curled fists are thrown until both of them are too tired to continue. The men around them stare and whisper, telling stories of forgotten gods and fairytales. If Wolffe bites a little bit deeper, and Kote punches hard enough to shatter all the bones in his hand after those whispered words; well, that's confidential. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wolffe watches his little brother carefully, watches as Kote balances the line of smart, and cruel. Wolffe recognises the look in his brothers eyes, recognises the same anger burning in his eyes, it's the same eyes Wolffe sees in their </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buir, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the same anger Wolffe sees when he looks in the mirror. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One day Kote brings home a blonde-haired cadet, one from one of the younger batches. Fox rolls his eyes and walks out of the room, him and Kote have </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>gotten along. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wolffe! This is Rex, I found him crying in one of the hidden rooms!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kote I don’t think you were supposed to tell me that.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh well, can he stay?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Make sure you don’t get in trouble.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After that Rex was one of them. Kote looks out for him the same way Wolffe looks out for their batch. Keeps him out of trouble with the Kaminoens, keeps him alive. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes Wolffe wishes it wasn’t up to him to protect his brothers, wishes Fox, or Ponds would take the control and let him </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe; </span>
  </em>
  <span>but they don't have sharp teeth, or deadly fists, or a desire to break everything in sight until they feel whole again. Wolffe knows when it comes down to it, he’s going to need to do something his brothers can't bring themselves to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They pass their tests with flying colours, just like they expected to; they trained with Jango, there's not room for failure. Wolffe hears the whispers of </span>
  <em>
    <span>brilliant </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>deadly</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Wolffe laughs long and hard, almost a howl into the galaxy. His chest burns, but his determination burns brighter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their batch is selected for ARC training, along with a fair few other batches. Once they work out what the </span>
  <em>
    <span>kriff </span>
  </em>
  <span>ARC training is, Wolffe is excited. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>ARC training is </span>
  <em>
    <span>thrilling, </span>
  </em>
  <span>that's not to say it isn't also horrific and exhausting, but the pressure takes the ache to run from Wolffe’s bones, lets him stop and </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe </span>
  </em>
  <span>for a moment before he throws himself in head-first. Kote is right beside him, bruised knuckles and angry eyes.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jango has left now, left with a simple goodbye and ruffling of their hair, his eyes are as sad as they are proud. Kote rages for days afterwards, Wolffe just feels tired.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> He knows where Jango went, he went to fight the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jetii. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Some of their brothers ask when he’s coming back, Kote and Wolffe make eye-contact and they both know, they both understand that their </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buir </span>
  </em>
  <span>is never coming back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wolffe can feel something coming, doesn't know what, but he can feel the change down into his </span>
  <em>
    <span>bones. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’s terrified, no matter how much he ignores it. He knows the war is coming, knows that something is going to happen. The rest of Wolffe’s batch can feel it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kote starts spending days in the training areas, trains until he can barely move, until he’s shaking with exhaustion. Like clockwork, Wolffe comes and collects him at the end, makes sure his stupid little brother is okay. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The war is coming, a war that's going to take Wolffes brothers away from him, that's going to hurt his </span>
  <em>
    <span>family.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wolffe bares his teeth and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>snarls. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. there will come a solider (who carries a mighty sword)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fox dreams an endless cycle of heartbreak. Over and over again he dreams of blasters and his brothers broken bodies.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fox isn’t stupid, despite what his brothers make think, he’s the top academic in their batch for a reason. His brothers like to laugh and play him as a fool but Fox isn’t stupid.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knows that something is coming, can feel how everything shifts around each choice they make, how it impacts the unseen future. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox wants to protect his brothers more than anything, he’s the oldest of the batch, it’s supposed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>responsibility to keep them all safe; not Wolffe’s, and definitely not Kote’s.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Except Fox doesn’t have the sharp teeth like Wolffe, or the endless ambition of Kote, he’s not particularly kind or gentle like Bly and Ponds, he’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fox. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All he has is his brain to rely on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox can feel his brothers distrust everywhere he does, can feel how they eye him with barely concealed annoyance. He does not react how they do, he can’t cannot bring himself to have endless optimism and determination. He can barely bring himself to speak most days.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That’s the problem with dreaming, you tend to get lost in your head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He feels something coming that he cannot explain, Jango questions him one day after he snaps at Kote, (“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fox what is going on! That’s your brother, not a droid.”)</span>
  </em>
  <span> He can remember spitting angry words at his little brother, he feels terrible afterwards, and he can’t get rid of the nausea crawling up his throat at the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fear </span>
  </em>
  <span>in Kote’s eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s something he’s dreamt of before, the fear in his brothers eyes, he dreams of it almost every night, dreams of pulling triggers and giving orders and watching his brothers fall apart </span>
  <em>
    <span>over and over again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He wakes up with no memory beyond the blood on his hands, and the tears on his cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes he dreams of yellow stripes, and warm hands, and a soothing voice that calms the fear that follows him around these dreams. He feels the warmth and the happiness within this voice, he reaches out to it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> He wakes up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox loves his brothers, he loves them so much that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurts</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But some days the apprehension of what's to come threatens to crush him. He can't protect his brothers, he can't protect him from what's coming, can't protect them from the Kaminoans, can't protect them from the upcoming war (and the war is coming, no matter how much everyone avoids it). </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bly is probably the person that Fox trusts most, they're the closet in age compared to their brothers, and they feel a similar sort of helplessness at watching their brothers fall apart over and over again. Fox confides in Bly, tells him about the war, about the dreams of blasters and chips and </span>
  <em>
    <span>orders</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he can't remember when he wakes up. He tells him about the dreams of sleazy voices, and the dreams of warm hands and safety. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bly in turn confides in Fox about the feeling of helplessness as he stands by and watches his brothers break down, and he doesn't say it, but Fox knows that Bly has similar dreams, how Bly dreams about blue skin and cries of pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bly is the easiest to be around, he's the one brother that Fox doesn't need to hide from, Ponds is a close second, but his stern little brother doesn't understand what it means to keep his silence and hide, Ponds has always been a supernova of a presence, burning bright and hot; he burns as hot as Kote and Wolffe. Fox fears one day his determined little brothers will burn themselves out. No fires can burn forever. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox isn't a fighter, despite how much he may pretend to be, but he's not a fighter. Violence and rage doesn't run in his blood, it hasn't sunk inside his bones yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox wishes him and Kote could get along, he loves his little brother </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his ambitous, stupid little brother. But the air sits strangely around Kote, its familiar to Fox, similar to something in his dreams that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>can't </span>
  </em>
  <span>remember. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He feels terrible about it, but sometimes Kote fills Fox with a familiar fear of something he has not experienced yet. Anger courses through Kotes blood as easily as deception runs through Fox’s. Kote’s anger burns like wildfire, not like Ponds’ determined fire. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kote brings a blonde-haired cadet to their barracks one day, and Fox feels something inside him seize; he knows those eyes, and he knows that hair and he knows that grin. He’s seen this cadet lose </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox has dreamt of seeing this brother rage and rage and </span>
  <em>
    <span>shatter. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’s seen him aim blasters at Kote, at the trainers, at all of their brothers with vacant eyes and stiff posture.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kote has already latched on, Fox can’t stop that now. The future is always in motion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox refuses to stand by and let this blonde cadet pull a blaster on his brother. He won’t let this cadet make Fox’s future mistakes. History will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>repeat itself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox walks away, he feels his bond with Kote shatter. He’s keeping his brothers safe, but by gods does it </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fox listens to the warnings that Jango tells, that the Kaminoens tell them, he listens when the trainers spit angry words at them. Fox isn't a fighter, but he is a listener, and he’s diplomatic; he’s always been able to twist his words to protect his brothers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He needs to know what’s going on, he needs to understand more than what he’s being told; he needs to, or his brothers are going to become pawns to something nobody can predict. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox isn’t a fighter, he cannot protect his brothers with his fists, or his righteousness, but he can protect them from behind them, and can protect them when they can’t see him. Fox isn’t as brave as his brothers, but he’s no less weaker. If he can’t protect his brothers by throwing himself in front of them, he’ll protect their backs and pray to god they’re not stupid enough to get killed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox has been dreaming of this since he was a decanted, he dreams of robotic voices, and needles, and he dreams of </span>
  <em>
    <span>drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of feeling life drain under his hands. Fox isn’t a killer, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>be a killer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes the world is too much, everything feels like it’s running so fast and so slowly at the same time, Fox feels like his head is going to explode, his heart won’t stop pounding and he can feel the blood </span>
  <em>
    <span>rushing </span>
  </em>
  <span>through him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox is terrified of what’s to come, he’s terrified of become the monster he’s dreamed of, he’s terrified of pulling that blaster and watching his brothers fall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Some days that fear threatens to drown him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox does that he does best.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He shuts his eyes and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>dreams. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>look- I promise I DO love Fox, but the bitch is rlly going through it LMAO</p>
<p>Come chat on tumblr! (@forestgreengirl)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. how long can you carry the world on your shoulders before you fracture apart? // Kote</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>haha good luck, this is a  Mess</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>CC-2224 doesn’t understand the anger racing through his veins, he doesn’t understand why the trainers refuse to look him in the eyes, and they always hesitate to touch him, the same way most of his brothers do. He doesn't know why they look at him like he's </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It's their original template, Jango Fett,  that tells him what to do with the rage that floods him after he watches CC-2224 punch the training bags until he shatters every bone in his hand. Jango tugs his hands away, wrapping them in white bandages and telling him that he needs to control himself. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <em>
    <span>(“You need to control that anger, kid, you don't want to hurt someone.”)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(I won’t sir.”) </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote can’t bring himself to tell Jango otherwise, can’t bring him to tell Jango about how some nights he wakes up with the taste of ash in his mouth, and blasters ringing in his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(CC-2224 understands now, why Fox wakes up with a scream caught in his throat, and tears on his cheeks, why he refuses to tell any of the vode why.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jango is named </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buir</span>
  </em>
  <span> not long after Jango begins to teach him, and his batchmates and any clone interested, in the language of his home planet. CC-2224 can still remember the way Jango’s face broke out in a grin when he accidentally called him that for the first time, one hand ruffling the fluffy parts of CC-2224’s fair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jango teaches CC-2224 how to calm the rage in his bones, teaches him how to wear it as a second skin, how to sharpen it into a knife, much like the same way Jango is teaching CC-3636 how to tear skin with his teeth, and how to calm the possessive hunger in his heart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s Jango, his </span>
  <em>
    <span>buir </span>
  </em>
  <span>that teaches him how to </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>****</b>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Jango that gives him his name, all of his brothers had chosen their names, all except CC-3636 and himself. He’s had ideas of course, there's no shortage of nicknames he’s been called, but none have felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>. None of the assorted names his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vode </span>
  </em>
  <span>have called him have sat right, feeling too much like an unseen weight on his back. Making his hands itch with the need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>break it down. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He thinks something’s wrong with him, it stays on his mind for weeks, haunting the back of his mind, he shouldn't be this fixated on a </span>
  <em>
    <span>name, </span>
  </em>
  <span>something the </span>
  <em>
    <span>clones </span>
  </em>
  <span>aren't supposed to have, despite what his </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buir </span>
  </em>
  <span>might say. But it does, resting heavy on his shoulders as he avoids his brother's questions, and Jango’s questioning gaze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s one of the nights where Jango finds him in the training rooms after dark, chest heaving and knuckles red, and bleeding. He just stares at CC-2224 with something so </span>
  <em>
    <span>worried </span>
  </em>
  <span>in his eyes, enough that it makes CC-2224 want to turn over and puke. He never did do well with anybody caring about him, never feeling enough to deserve it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jango pulls 2224 up to bandage his hand, they never wanted the Kaminoens to find out about 2224’s late night training times. It’s only a passing comment, Jango asks him about what he would do if they weren’t built for war, what 2224 would want to be.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(“Hm, kid? Say the war wasn't coming, you could take any job you want; what would you do?”)</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>(“I’d make sure my brothers were okay.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And if they were?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don't know, I like punching things, maybe a defender of some sort?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That  sounds like something full of glory.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Of course! I’m going to save people!”) </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gets his name not long after that, Jango ruffles his hair, laughing as he grumbles about ‘little </span>
  <em>
    <span>kote </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanting to be a hero. Something inside 2224 clicks as he hears that word, something twisting in his chest stops. That's him, that's his name, that’s the name he's been looking for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kote</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(he can feel it deep in his bones, feels the way the name sinks deep and he knows. He knows that one day that name will be stripped from his bones, lying buried in a ghosts memory.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote watches through vacant eyes as their trainer brings a hand up, a loud noise in the quietness of the training room. He didn't mean to mess up the simulation, it's just that Bly cried out in pain as he landed on a twisted ankle, and Kote felt something seize in his chest at the yelp, his heart working with the need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>protect</span>
  </em>
  <span> his </span>
  <em>
    <span>vod. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn't expect what immediately follows, he doesn't expect the way that 3636 lunges towards the trainer, sharp teeth latching onto the skin of the trainers arm, and with a half-hearted growl he bites down and </span>
  <em>
    <span>tears.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s honestly a bit gross, Kote knows he should feel bad by the way the trainer is holding their arm and screaming at the top of his lungs, yelling about rebellious </span>
  <em>
    <span>clones, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he looks at the man just forced his brothers to train while injured, that has been trying to get Fox decommissioned for days, and he feels nothing but cold indifference. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jango hurries over at the commotion, eyes widening momentarily at the sight he arrives at before he puts on a calm face, walking into the folds to pull check to make sure Kote was okay, before hauling a heavily breathing 3636 away from the still screaming trainer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote wants to stay and hang around to see how it ends, and to make sure the trainer doesn't try anything against his </span>
  <em>
    <span>family. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But Jango sends a sharp glare at him before he can protest, and Kote knows that look very well; its that look of “I’m about to kick your kriffing ass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had a moment of self-preservation and reluctantly left the training studios.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(He dreams that night, dreams of snapping the trainers bones in his grasp, of pressing and pressing and listening to him scream. It's what he deserved for daring to lay a hand on his brothers.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>****</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He takes a bit more interest in the newly nicknamed Wolffe after that. Kote notices the way brothers seem to avoid walking too closely to Wolffe, trying to avoid being at all near Wolffe’s teeth. Kote understands the look in Wolffe’s eyes, the way he unconsciously shies away from peoples touch, except for the few people he trusted endlessly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote understands the hatred of feeling peoples hands on you, he also understands the fractured, angry look in Wolffe’s eyes. There was something oddly comforting about the protective, feral rage of his </span>
  <em>
    <span>ori’vod. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They somehow end up sparring together, both of them being mostly excluded from sparring with their brothers, Wolffe for his pointed teeth, and Kote for how hard he kicks, and punches, and the fact he has a habit of grabbing onto people's limbs and </span>
  <em>
    <span>snapping </span>
  </em>
  <span>the bone inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It doesn't exactly make people want to spend time with them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He loves his brothers so goddamn much, but sometimes the distrustful, yet awed looks made Kote want to hide. He hated that his brothers thought he was so far ahead of them. Which..he was, but it always hurt to be reminded that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>different</span>
  </em>
  <span> from his brothers. Hated that he felt so alone, even while surrounded by his brothers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It feels good to fight with Wolffe, it feels great to not have to be careful of how hard he hits, and how hard he kicks his legs into his opponents knees. Wolffe can stand his ground, giving just as much force back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote laughs as they fight, baring their teeth at each other, even as their lips and noses spread blood down their faces, chests heaving with exhaustion and adrenaline. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>There was something amazing in fighting with someone who understands the urge to tear things with their own teeth, and Wolffe understands the pressure that sits on Kote’s shoulders, Wolffe is somehow also aware of the pressure sitting on the horizon, knowing about the way something is coming and they don't know </span>
  <em>
    <span>what, </span>
  </em>
  <span>something other than the rapidly approaching war. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>****</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote finds a crying cadet in one of the more hidden rooms of the Kaminofen factory, he’s looking up nervously at Kote,  short blonde fuzz standing prominent in the low lighting. It’s not a common colour, most blonder brothers are always taken before Kote can even properly meet them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, what’s up with you?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nothing.” </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t lie to me vod’ika. What’s wrong, most people don't tend to spend their free time crying in rooms.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They want to decommission me for my hair, and its not fair, so I’m avoiding them until they forget and leave me alone.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sounds legit, you can come with me then, I’ll make sure they don't find you. You got a name vod?” </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“...Rex”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not all of his batchmates are impressed by him bringing back a CT cadet, least of all Fox who just rolls his eyes at Kote, before walking out of the room at a frenzied pace. Kote honestly questions what Fox’s deal is, he’s so high-strung </span>
  <em>
    <span>all the time. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ponds just glances up at them briefly before going back to whatever </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Bly and Wolffe just look mildly puzzled, Kote never usually takes any particular note of any of the younger brothers, spending most of his time training, or sparring with Wolffe and Jango. But Kote can also recognise the protective look in his brothers eyes</span>
  <b><br/>
</b>
  <b><br/>
</b>
  <span>It’s not long after that, that his batch passes their final exam with flying colours. They trained under Jango Fett himself, there was no scenario there where it was acceptable to fail. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Kote feels simultaneously delighted and terrified. He’s so karking happy to have passed, they’ve trained for this final exam for most of their lives, the next step is the war. The feeling of something approaching creeps up behind him, passing this exam brings him and his brothers one step closer to something that will quite likely kill them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s a startling thought, the idea of being left alone, left as the only one standing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote’s stomach churns at the idea, he has regular nightmares of watching his brothers fall, of seeing his brothers helmets displayed in forgotten places, left to time. Its something he never quite manages to forget when he wakes up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s something different about his </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buir</span>
  </em>
  <span> now, the man is more tense, less attentive to the men, it's a strange comparison to when Kote was younger, and Jango was a steady presence through his moments of weakness. He hopes its just something that will pass, despite how much Jango tries to hide it, Kote has always known when someone he trusts is hiding something from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jango has been sneaking off to make calls to people, he always seems so much more tense afterwards. The whole experience makes Kote’s blood boil, and ends with him sprawled on training mats with bruised knuckles and broken hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They get selected for ARC training, another level of training designed to get them more prepared for the incoming war. It’s confusing at first, getting used to the ways of being trained. It’s confusing, and painful and Kote spends a good portion of his time too exhausted to do much of anything but sleeping after a full day of training.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s a good distraction from everything around him, from the whispers of trainers, and troopers, from the feeling of being crushed under an unseen weight that never truly lessons, he’s mostly just grown used to it. His knuckles are almost permanently bruised, and he grins so much harder during training times where he gets to slam his things into things as hard as he can; Wolffe right by his side with his sharp teeth and angry eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It shouldn’t surprise, or hurt Kote as much as it does when Jango finally leaves. His </span>
  <em>
    <span>Buir</span>
  </em>
  <span> looks as sad as he does proud, pressing a gentle kiss to Kote’s head, ruffling the black curls that he really does need to cut. And Jango turns, walking out the door and not looking back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kote spends the next few days in a haze of rage, the hurt and anger at having Jango leave out-weighing anything else he could be feeling. He always knew Jango was going to leave, he doesn't know why he’s so upset about it, but he spends more time in the training rooms, punching and punching and punching until his knuckles tear and crack and Kote’s on the ground and </span>
  <em>
    <span>he can’t breathe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn't want to go to war, glory doesn't feel like something he needs more than he needs his family to be okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>****</b>
  <b><br/>
<br/>
</b>
</p><p>
  <span>The anger never leaves him, it still hits heavy on his shoulders, some days it still threatens to swallow him. But he’s learnt to twist it into a knife, to use it to protect him and his brothers and that's what he's going to do; even if it kills him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(Maybe one day he’ll understand why anger burns through him so brightly, why he has dreams of that anger being drained, of standing there and feeling </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>nothing.</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The war is coming, and Kote can’t do anything against it, except to clench his fists and pray to god he can keep his brothers safe. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologises for any grammar/word mistakes, most of this was written at 2am on 4 hours of sleep- but I have A lot of feelings about Cody and it Shows-</p><p>Also please ignore any Kote/Cody mix-ups- words aren’t working properly atm </p><p>come chat on tumblr! (@forestgreengirl)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I Love Wolffe okay!! He’s my boy!! Did I project onto him? Perhaps. </p>
<p>This is like,, a character study on Wolffe, Cody, Ponds, Fox, and Bly that also includes like,, magic realism kinda? you’ll figure it out.</p>
<p>Come chat on tumblr!! (@forestgreengirl)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>